The small community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama is famous all over the world for its quilts, but it also has another claim to fame as the home of the nation’s first all-electric ferry.
ALDOT’s Gee’s Bend Ferry began carrying passengers and automobiles across the Alabama River in April 2019, as the nation’s first all-electric ferry. Today the ferry, previously powered by diesel engines, uses a large tower of batteries that is recharged at docking stations in Camden on the north and Boykin on the south sides of the Alabama River.
About 20,000 people and 10,000 vehicles ride the ferry annually. The trip is just more than two miles and takes 15-18 minutes depending on the river’s current. The first ferry between Gee’s Bend and Camden ran on cables in the 1930s. It was shut down in 1962 and is on display at the Gee’s Bend Nutrition Center, a short drive from the Boykin landing. In the 1990s, Congress allocated money to pay for ferry service and operating costs. The ferry reopened in 2006.
The ferry runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and makes five round trips daily. Tickets are $3 per car and
rider and $1 for each additional rider. Children under age 12 ride free. Large vehicles like motor
homes and tractors pay more.
For more information about the Gee’s Bend Ferry ticket pricing and schedule, please visit their website.
